Eden And The Fall

by McCubbin, A. D. | Category: Across The Bible Centuries | Jan 1988

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

The Bible commences with the simple but very profound statement that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (1:1). Genesis is the book of beginnings, and the introduction to the story of the creation and the redemption of mankind.

The simplicity of the language of this book makes it intelligible to persons of all ages, and the majesty is there for the wise to meditate upon. The early chapters raise many questions which are not easily answered, and as a result they tend to be regarded by some as being mythical rather than historical accounts. We would therefore emphasize that we accept the whole of Genesis as an integral part of the Scriptures, which are all God-breathed or inspired (2 Tim. 3:16 RSV). There are other accounts of the creation in existence, but they generally claim to show man making progressive improvement. They lack the authority of Genesis which alone reveals the divine plan, and shows God in action throughout

The creation began when God said "Let there be light: and there was light" (1:3). We marvel at the immediate response to the divine command for light, which is the foundation of all that follows. Later we are told: "By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the Word of God,

so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which do appear" (11eb. 11:3). creation then proceeded by stages until the sixth day when man was' created and the climax was reached. This last part of the Creation can helpfully be set out graphically:

And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion...

And God created man in His Own image, in the image of God created He him: male and female created He them. And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion..." (1:26-28).

After each day God saw that it was good, which means that it was in accordance with the divine plan. With the creation of man all was declared by God to be very good, that is, the divine plan had been completed in its entirety. Man was head of the creation, and supreme over all else on the earth, where he was intended to rule as God's agent It should be noted that God said

"Let US make man", which is the first direct indication of plurality of persons in the Godhead.

In this section God is invariably referred to by the name "Elohim". It is used in this passage about 35 times, showing that God is active throughout. Then on the seventh day we are told that God rested. The stamp of God's power had been left for all to see, and men would be capable of knowing God. Paul would later write to the Romans, "For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity" (Rom. 1:20).

Genesis 2:4-25

This section appears to some people as describing another creation, but that is by no means necessarily so. The previous section should rather be seen as showing the creation from the divine point of view, which leads up to the revelation of God's plan. In this section we have the same creation in its human aspect, which leads to the third section, which sadly describes the Fail of mankind (3:1-24).

The second section briefly sets out the creation of the heaven and the earth, and then gives in greater detail the creation of man. God did not only speak, but He formed man from the dust of the ground, which is adamah in Hebrew, and from this the name Adam is derived, and later used both as a proper name and a collective name for mankind. God then breathed in the

breath of life, and man became a living being (RSV). In this section God is always referred to b~ the dual name of Jehovah Elohim, which indicates that God is not only the all powerful one, Elohim, as before, but in addition He is Jehovah or Yahweh, that is the God of personal revelation.

Adam was placed by God in the pleasant environment of a garden or parkland, which God had prepared in Eden. The site was identified by four rivers, of which only two are now known, the Tigris and the Euphrates. These do not locate the area of the Garden with any accuracy, nor is there any reason to believe that the Garden of Eden still exists. Adam was instructed "to dress and to keep the Garden", which literally means "to guard and tread". For food he had the fruit of the trees which God had planted, but he was strongly warned not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, on pain of death. There is no evidence that the fruit had supernatural properties, but the sin consisted of disobeying God's instruction. The tree of life is also mentioned, but no indication of the purpose of this tree is given at this stage.

Adam's need for a suitable partner was not met until the naming of the animals had taken place. He must have been impressed that the animals of all species had partners of their own, but he was alone. God acknowledged Adam's need for one who was like him. So finally God put Adam to sleep and took a piece of rib or side, and worked in some miraculous way to provide a wife, who was essentially of the same flesh. Adam called her Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

Genesis 3:1-24

There is no indication given as to how long this delightful state of affairs persisted. God could freely converse with Adam and Eve, but it certainly seems that the evil one was soon ready to attack the harmony of the creation. The instrument chosen for this sinister work was a serpent, because it was more subtle than any other animal. The Hebrew word translated "serpent" indicates an ordinary' snake, but it had been given special ability to beguile the human pair; perhaps it resented their position and authority. It is most surprising that the snake could speak and communicate with them, and this alone should have alerted the woman that something was wrong, and that she should at least have consulted her husband before taking this fruit to eat. The snake had presumably decided that the woman was potentially the easier one of the pair to lead astray. The language of the snake was very deceptive, "Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?" (3:1), which implies that God was holding back something to which they were entitled. It is significant that the snake refers to God as Elohim, and not as Jehovah. The woman responded cautiously, but her reply was not accurate, in that firstly she uses the plural, whereas God had commanded Adam in the singular (Thou), and then she added "you shall not touch it". The snake then strongly contradicted God's command with "No, you shall not die" (literal translation). So the woman was won over by the attractive appearance of the fruit, and the prospect of more wisdom. She therefore took and ate of the forbidden fruit, and then she gave some to Adam to eat. Although she was deceived, Adam made a deliberate choice to disobey God's command of his own free will (1 Tim. 2:14), for Satan had no power to make them sin. As a result their eyes were opened, but not as they expected, for they were naked and ashamed and sought to cover themselves as they recognized their guilt before God. When confronted by God Adam first blamed Eve, and she in turn blamed the snake. The harmony of the garden was lost, but it was noticeable that no offer of repentance was made either by the man or the woman, for they realized that they had betrayed their trust.

The Lord God passed judgement firstly on the snake, which had initiated the Fall, and it was destined to travel on its belly in remembrance of its role. Next the woman, who would have pain in childbearing, and be subject to her husband. Finally, the man would no longer have full control over the creation, as the ground would rebel, and crops fail. Subsequent scientific advances have never fully overcome the curse of Eden. The man would return to the dust from which he was taken. So Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, and cherubim and a flaming sword guarded the way to the tree of life.

Satan had thus succeeded in introducing sin into the world, bringing not only disastrous effects for individuals who departed from God's will, but also causing them to challenge the ultimate purposes of God. The authority of God had been rejected, and the confidence and fellowship of the Creator had been lost, hence man was isolated with no means of knowing God. The effectual power and wisdom of God was no longer evident to all, so God became a stranger in His own creation. Nevertheless God in divine grace did from time to time speak to men through His chosen servants. It is surprising to find so very few references in the remainder of the Old Testament to the Fall.

Although the wonderful creation had been sadly marred, all was not lost, for God in His mercy would provide the second Man who would reconcile the world to God, and complete the work of redemption. So the first glimmer of hope was given in the cryptic sentence pronounced on the snake, "It (the woman's seed) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel" (Gen. 3:15).

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Cor. 15:21,22).

McCubbin, A. D. | Jan 1988
Across The Bible Centuries